Ian Gorman’s new Kalamazoo digs will throw open the doors Saturday night to musicians, music lovers and community members during an open house. Read more about the studio at Local Spins.
‘A Continuation’: Ian Gorman has more space at La Luna but wants to maintain the same vibe. (Photo/Derek Ketchum)
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Those who attend the grand opening of the La Luna Recording and Sound studio Saturday evening in Kalamazoo may notice a few things different about Ian Gorman’s new Jericho Town digs compared with his old nondescript, self-constructed, cozy, garage-based studio behind his Eastwood home.
Sign of the Times: La Luna (Photo/Derek Ketchum)
Beyond the brick façade of what was once a World War II-era foundry, the spacious, 1,800-square-foot, eight-room recording space features multiple, tailor-made, various-sized isolation rooms, a large, high-ceilinged main room, massive control room, and a pair of reverb chambers that add to the uniqueness of the sound that will come out of Gorman’s cutting-edge work space.
The more things change, the more they stay the same, however — and it’s all by design.
“It’s a lot larger, much improved facility, but it was very important for me to maintain the vibe and aesthetic of the old space. I really just view this as a continuation of what we had,” said Gorman, who has been busy tackling more than 60 new projects since Local Spins sat down with him a year ago. (Read that story encompassing Gorman’s career at Local Spins here).
Starting from scratch in a bare-bones section of the building that he shares with a couple of other Edison businesses, he was able to construct the exact layout he was after. The expansive control room, he says, fits 12 people comfortably, and he will be taking advantage of that by offering a variety of studio and recording workshops.
EXTRA SPACE, CREATIVE ENVIRONMENT
That extra space has also allowed him to bring on a full-time assistant studio engineer, Nick Pasquino, and expand his intern program, providing WMU audio engineering students with more opportunities to get hands-on experience.
Spacious Design: Part of the new studio. (Photo/Derek Ketchum)
“I want this to be one of the most happening, influential spaces around Michigan. I just can’t wait to start making records that we love out of it,” said the longtime engineer, who has worked with everyone from the Smashing Pumpkins to Greensky Bluegrass, Dominic Davis and May Erlewine and has recently been producing and mastering the works of artists such as Gregory Stovetop, Seth Bernard and Angelina Josephine.
“I feel the fact we are able to do this is a real byproduct of the scene we are in, and a sign of how many bands are really doing cool, influential, prolific work here in The Mitten,” he said. “The thing I’m probably most excited about, more than anything, however is being part of a community of really interesting, hardworking, creative people here in Jericho Town.”
For more information on tomorrow’s public open house, being held from 5-10 p.m. at 1501 Fulford St., visit the Facebook event page. Along with a chance to watch Guitar Up! Surf Band record live in-studio and enjoy some food and drink, the event will also shine a spotlight on other area businesses such as Fido Motors, Stuffed Brain and Kal-Tone Musical Instrument Co.
PHOTO GALLERY: La Luna Recording in Kalamazoo
Photos by Derek Ketchum
Copyright 2018, Spins on Music LLC
